The burdensome task of installing building materials, such as drywall, is usually cumbersome and labor intensive. The process of installing these large, cumbersome and heavy drywall sheets for covering walls and ceilings usually has been assigned to two or more people. In order to correctly install drywall as ceiling sheets or wall sheets, the drywall sheets must first be lifted and placed into the desired position. With the drywall sheet being supported by at least one person, a second person must then secure the drywall sheet to the overhead joists or wall joists via a means of attachment, one of the more common ways being with screws. Usually screw guns are employed to speed up the process. While a minimum of two people are usually desired for this particular job, sometimes one person is left to accomplish this task all by thereself. This usually involves the installer balancing the panel on his head and/or using a tee bar (a tee bar is usually constructed from two pieces of 2″×4″ wood with the vertical leg being 2″ to 3″ longer than the height of the ceiling) to free his hands in order to apply the means of attachment to attach the sheet of drywall to the structure. This practice is dangerous, leaves little room for adjustments and potentially adds to the amount of scrapped material. Therefore, there is a need for an invention which can temporarily hold a drywall sheet or other building materials in place while the installer is able to do final adjustments to the location and permanently secure the panel to the supporting joists.
One example of a device for aiding in the installation of drywall sheets and other building materials is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,366,329. This patent describes a rotatable device having an integral “Z” shaped body is used to temporarily hold the drywall panel to the ceiling. This device is only capable of being rotated and does not have the option to be locked in a secure position. This causes a problem if the drywal sheet needs to be adjusted to properly fit into the desired position. Likewise, a problem exists when abutting one piece of dry wall next to another. Hence, an installer using the device still requires a minimum of one hand to hold the dry wall in place while the other secures it to the ceiling joists. Further, the device requires multiple components to manufacture it in its simplest form and requires the use of a relatively expensive shoulder screw. With frequent use of the shoulder, the screw head strips, requiring disassembly of the device to replace the screw.
Another device used to facilitate the installation of building materials is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,002,446. This patent describes an overhead support device with an angled surface and widened edges. A tapered screw is embodied inside the housing which is used to secure the support device to the ceiling joists. The panel rests in the gap between the ceiling joist and the top of the housing. However, this device needs to be manually screwed in which is labor intensive, strenuous and time consuming. Furthermore, this device has the ability to possibly damage the building material when it is adjusted into its final position.
Therefore, there exists a need for an apparatus, device, or devices that can be quickly attached to a support structure, such as a ceiling or wall joist, that can be used in multiple surroundings to facilitate the installation of building materials which reduces the effort, the number of people needed to perform the task and preferably leaving both hands free to secure the material.